Yankees Spring Training Beat: Chamberlain vs. Hughes, Round 2

They probably are gonna get tired of hearing their names bunched together along with a certain numerical mention, but that won’t stop me from talking about them. So Hughes and Chamberlain are putting their best foot forward in a battle for the fifth spot in the Yankees rotation. Will one of the two step forward into the spotlight ? Or will they return to their perch on the bullpen bench, chewing on sunflower seeds, and not living up to the hype the organization bestowed upon them ?

They can both hit the mid to high 90’s on the radar gun, they can both show some fire emotionally, heck they can both work out of a bullpen. But can one of them step forward and develop into a solid, dependable, once every five days quality starter ? The fifth spot in a rotation thats front end loaded like a suped up Challenger off the showroom floor, is as as easy as its gonna get for these two. Well easy as its gonna get as a starter.

Hughes is sporting a suspicious 4.20 career ERA, while Chamberlain is rocking a 3.61 career ERA, the “Joba Rules aka training wheels” are off and Hughes has his first healthy season under his belt. If Hughes wins the fifth spot will the “Hughes Rules” come into play? Will that factor into the Yankees decision? When all is said and done, Who will be the last man standing(on the mound every FIFTH day) ?